Bringing Concrete Knowledge Home

1/1/2026

Each year that I serve on the ACI Board of Direction and Executive Committee, I learn a little more about what ACI provides to the concrete community and what people love about ACI. What I personally value most about ACI is its role in bringing people together to learn, share knowledge, and build their careers. A great place to see this in action is at biannual ACI Concrete Conventions, like the recent ACI Convention – Fall 2025 in Baltimore, MD, USA. ACI Conventions are a flurry of activity in meeting rooms, ballrooms, social events, hallways, coffee shops, bars, and restaurants. However, ACI has almost 40,000 members across 120 countries, and only a small fraction of our members are able to attend. Recently, I had the opportunity to see what can be done locally to bring that energy and concrete knowledge found at ACI Conventions home.

In September 2025, ACI Executive Vice President Frederick Grubbe and I traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, for the Encuentro Latinoamericano de Capítulos Estudiantiles del ACI (ENLACE-ACI), which is a Latin American meeting of ACI Student Chapters. The event is student-organized and student-led, with the help of local ACI Chapters and members. More than 425 students from 23 ACI Student Chapters in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Peru attended, along with over 75 concrete professionals. This year’s event was led by Victor Manuel Pedraza-Almaguer, a graduate student from Facultad de Ingeniería Civil (FIC) at Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) and President of the ACI FIC-UANL Student Chapter, with support and guidance from ACI member Elissa Narro Aguirre and Alejandro Durán-Herrera, FACI. Students participated in hands-on workshops, attended lectures and panels, and competed in teams for funding to attend the ACI student FRP Composites Competition to be held on March 29 at the ACI Convention – Spring 2026 in Rosemont/Chicago, IL, USA. The event attracted ACI members from across the Americas who are driven to support and encourage the next generation of concrete enthusiasts. Companies had booths to attract talent from this pool of highly engaged and energetic students. This event showcased how regional events can bring ACI activities closer to home to broaden participation and engagement.

Elissa Narro Aguirre and Maria Juenger (center) with members of the ACI Arquitectura Universidad Americana del Noreste (UANE) Student Chapter in Monterrey, Mexico

ACI members visit the construction site of Torre Rise in Monterrey, Mexico

Another way to bring ACI home is to bring ACI-developed concrete knowledge to engineering and construction projects. During our visit to Monterrey, we learned about the tall buildings in the city designed by ACI Honorary Member Roberto Stark and ACI member Esteban Astudillo de la Vega. We visited the Torre Rise construction site thanks to the guidance and attention of Abelardo Leal, Construction Manager of POSTENSA, the company in charge of the building’s construction. Torre Rise is notable for many reasons. This fully concrete building will be the second tallest in the Americas, after the One World Trade Center in New York, NY, USA. While landmark tall buildings in Mexico have historically brought in international design teams, Torre Rise is the product of local talent, with a Mexican architect and designer, Esteban Astudillo de la Vega. He credits ACI as a vital resource for professional growth and development as it has put him in touch with an international community of like-minded engineers, allowing him to learn new skills and confer with others. “Constant interactions with local ACI Chapters and prominent ACI members on technical committees help bring this project in full compliance with ACI standards, criteria, and codes, both in terms of the materials and structure,” he explained. Torre Rise is planned to be 484 m (1588 ft). The construction is proceeding rapidly at a rate of one level per week. We look forward to celebrating its completion in 2027!

It is always good to be reminded of how extensive ACI’s impact is, from helping students develop into knowledgeable professionals with a lifelong interest in concrete to assisting engineers in implementing best practices in materials, design, and construction. These are things that ACI does well both in the United States and around the world, thanks to our members who bring ACI and concrete knowledge home.

Maria C.G. Juenger

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